US News and World Report Orlando Hotel Rankings

[wizwit]

Not sure when this was published but just saw this list:

http://travel.usnews.com/Hotels/Orlando_Walt_Disney_World_FL/

The Four Seasons is ranked #1 and there are three Disney hotels ranked in the Top 10 but you have to look all the way down to #22 to find the first Universal hotel on the list (Hard Rock)! Portofino and Royal Pacific are ranked 33 and 38, respectively.

Universal was robbed!

 

[Mad Dog]

Those rankings show you how bad this article is. Their rankings are so ridiculous that the article is laughable. Their statistical base is evidently seriously flawed.

 

[twebber55]

Those rankings show you how bad this article is. Their rankings are so ridiculous that the article is laughable. Their statistical base is evidently seriously flawed.

in what way...im not sure they were including universal

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Those rankings show you how bad this article is. Their rankings are so ridiculous that the article is laughable. Their statistical base is evidently seriously flawed.

I think it's pretty dead-on :shrug: Having stayed at a good amount of the hotels on that list (be it for class research, work, or little weekend getaways my family used to take) I'd say they got it pretty right. There really isn't too much statistical evidence you can use to draw conclusions to this sort of thing besides opinions and reviews, and that's pretty much what they did. And you can't really argue with the 5-star scale, either. The only problem IMO is that Portofino and Hard Rock should be swapped.

Universal hotels are great for what they are--they have incredible theming and, most importantly, convenience. But when you strip them down and look at the amenities they offer, they are below the top spots on this list. Next time you're staying in a Universal hotel, take a quick trip over to Grande Lakes and walk around the JW and the Ritz Carlton, then tell me that Universal got robbed.

 

[wizwit]

I'd put any of the three Universal Hotels ahead of Saratoga Springs and maybe Boardwalk.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I'd put any of the three Universal Hotels ahead of Saratoga Springs and maybe Boardwalk.

Oh yeah, Saratoga was kind of oddly high up on the list, forgot to mention that. But Boardwalk blows anything at Universal out of the water...I love that place lol.

 

[JungleSkip]

Oh yeah, Saratoga was kind of oddly high up on the list, forgot to mention that. But Boardwalk blows anything at Universal out of the water...I love that place lol.

Boardwalk is a good hotel, but blows the Uni ones out of the water? I don't think so. I'd put it about equal to Portofino.

As for Saratoga, I'm guessing it was so high because it has a spa.

 

[wizwit]

I think you also have to consider "value" when comparing properties. I'd guess that the Universal Hotels are probably the least expensive of anything in the top 25 on this list.

 

[shiekra38]

Not sure when this was published but just saw this list:

http://travel.usnews.com/Hotels/Orlando_Walt_Disney_World_FL/

The Four Seasons is ranked #1 and there are three Disney hotels ranked in the Top 10 but you have to look all the way down to #22 to find the first Universal hotel on the list (Hard Rock)! Portofino and Royal Pacific are ranked 33 and 38, respectively.

Universal was robbed!

Disney gets advantage because it's Disney normally...I personally feel Gaylord Palms is the number 1 hotel in Orlando...but that goes to show you the subjective nature of a 'Top' list like this

 

[twebber55]

Boardwalk is a good hotel, but blows the Uni ones out of the water? I don't think so. I'd put it about equal to Portofino.

As for Saratoga, I'm guessing it was so high because it has a spa.

maybe add the fact that teh golf course is on site as well

 

[Jakemeister]

What doesn't make sense to me personally is the Hyatt Regency Orlando being beaten out by numerous properties that just don't hold a candle to it. I LOVE Shingle Creek, but it just doesn't have the same level of amenities as Regency Orlando. Then the list goes on Omni, Saratoga Springs, Bonnet Creek, World Center, and the Regency at the airport. This list doesn't make any continuitive sense to me, but what do I know, I'm only a consumer with a hospitality background.

 

[freediverdude]

I realize they are judging hotels mainly for visiting Disney, but the Disney hotels really don't hold a candle to places like the Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton- they just don't have the same service. They should not be listed in the top 10 with some of those other hotels where the service is impeccable. There's a reason why AAA lists a lot of the Four Seasons and Ritz Carltons as 5 diamond, and the Disney Deluxes as 4 diamond (and sometimes they become in danger of losing the 4 diamond even, and Disney scrambles to keep it, an example being the Contemporary a few years ago before their refurb). Even the Downtown Disney Hilton lost their 4 diamond, and I'm not sure if they ever got it back, and I considered that hotel nicer than some of Disney's.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

^The 4 Seasons and Ritz Carlton are ranked above the Disney hotels....

And this is only for the Orlando area, there aren't tons of Ritz Carltons to be found. If a Disney hotel found itself in the Top 10 of a list of best hotels in the whole state, then that would be weird.